Reflections from a new Secular Franciscan

“The Canticle of the Sun by Francis of Assisi (day 2 of 14)”

Happy SUNDAY. What a beautiful day to be God in thoughts, deeds, and actions.

39 days till CHRISTmas,

and 14 days till the beginning of the ADVENT season

“HO, HO , HO-ly God, We Praise Thy Name!”

Humor of the Day:

Wisdom has two parts:

1) having a lot to say

2) not saying it.

Today’s Meditation:

The Canticle of the Sun by Francis of Assisi (day 2 of 14):

… No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name [Jesus]. …

I instantly think of two examples of this statement. First is the biblically based Jewish tradition of not saying God’s name, “Yahweh.” The Pope has recently ordered that this name for God should no longer be said in liturgy, and has caused many prayers and songs to be re-written. The second example comes from the ‘Harry Potter’ movies where the ultra-villain has a ‘name that shall not be spoken.’

One example uses the virtue of humility in not speaking the name as that they are not worthy to speak His name. The other example uses fear in not speaking the villains name.

God is pure love. A love that we, as sinners by nature, cannot totally understand. To me, I am in awe of His splendor, beauty, and mercy for His creation. I can truly understand the concept of not speaking His name – we are not worthy to do so. God loves us so much that He can, and will, forgive us for anything we do – no matter how bad – as long as we ask for His forgiveness.

God has no bias; no preconceived notions; no ulterior motives. All God wants is to have us with Him in paradise. We need to talk to Him often so He can get to know us, and more importantly, for us to know Him.

The full text of “The Canticle of the Sun” can be found at many web sites including:

Pax et Bonum

Dan Halley, SFO

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Secular Franciscan Order (SFO) Rule #15:

Let them individually and collectively be in the forefront in promoting justice by the testimony of their human lives and their courageous initiatives. Especially in the field of public life, they should make definite choices in harmony with their faith.